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A GOP House member from Kentucky has proposed legislation to loosen gun restrictions in the District of Columbia in the wake of Wednesday’s ambush shooting at a Republican congressional baseball team practice.

WASHINGTON — A Republican House member from Kentucky says he has proposed legislation to loosen gun restrictions in the District of Columbia so that members of Congress — and other “good guys” — can more easily defend themselves in the wake of Wednesday’s ambush shooting at a Republican congressional baseball team practice.

The bill would allow people with a valid concealed carry permit issued from their home state to carry their firearms in the District of Columbia, which currently does not recognize such permits from other jurisdictions and has some of the strictest gun laws in the nation.

Massie introduced his legislation with 21 GOP cosponsors on Thursday in response to the shooting a day earlier in Alexandria, Va., that injured five people, including House Majority Whip Steve Scalise of Louisiana. The quick response from Capitol Hill police, who were protecting Scalise, has been credited with preventing further tragedy, but not every member of Congress has a security detail. Scalise is the third ranking member of Repubclian leadership, and therefore has a dedicated security detail.

Virginia recognizes valid concealed carry permits from all states, provided the permit holder is 21 and meets other requirements. But Massie argues that D.C.’s strict gun control laws prevented the members and staffers from carrying weapons because they traveled from D.C. to the practice.

The District’s Democratic Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton blasted Massie for exploiting the shooting to undermine D.C. gun laws and advance the goals of the National Rifle Association.

“At a time when members need to come together and show unity, Representative (Massie) is doing exactly the opposite by going after the gun safety laws that protect D.C. residents,” she said.

The District provides licenses to carry concealed handguns but applicants must be deemed suitable, show reason to fear injury, complete training and meet other requirements to qualify. But Congress has jurisdiction over D.C. laws.

Shootings often lead to discussion in Congress about tighter restrictions on guns. In this case, some of the members who had been targeted left the field defending the Second Amendment and telling reporters they wished they had been carrying weapons.

“If we had more weapons, we could have subdued the shooter more quickly,” Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, R-Tenn., who was at the scene, told reporters.

But David Chipman, senior adviser for Americans for Responsible Solutions, said it’s inaccurate to think the outcome would have been different if members had been armed.

“This is a question of, ‘What’s the capability of the person in a crisis being shot at?’” said Chipman, a former Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives special agent. “It’s a myth that the mere presence of a gun in the hands of someone untrained makes the situation better.”